Baytown attractions, ranked by someone who lives here

The list for the person who typed "attractions near Baytown" and got a hotel-chain page. Ranked by whether you'll remember it.

1. The Lynchburg Ferry. Free, a few minutes across — under three by the county historical commission's count, seven to ten in wind and traffic by the Chronicle's — tankers passing, the monument on the far side. Weekdays from 4:30, weekends from eleven. The one thing to do if you do one thing. 2. Baytown Nature Center. 500 acres on the peninsula a hurricane emptied in 1983; 317 bird species; boardwalks; the bridge across the water. A few dollars a head at the gate; no pets. The morning. 3. The San Jacinto Monument and Battleground. Across the ferry: 567 feet, an elevator to the top, the museum, the field where Texas was won in eighteen minutes. The half-day. 4. The Fred Hartman Bridge. You don't visit it; you drive it, westbound at dusk, with the plants lighting up below. Forty seconds you'll describe to people. 5. Art Alley and Texas Avenue. The murals, lit at night; Town Square; the Market on the third Saturday; Grito Fest in the fall. Downtown's three blocks. 6. Pirates Bay Water Park. Memorial Day to the end of August, city-priced, the lazy river. Summer's attraction. 7. Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center. Live animals, exhibits, the rainy-day hour; on the way to the Nature Center; closed Sunday. 8. The Hyatt terrace at sunset. Not an attraction, technically. The view of the plants coming on across the channel is the best free show in the county and it comes with a drink. 9. Yepez Vineyard. Wine between the vines on a Sunday, music some weekends, ten minutes from town and nothing like it. 10. Lee College Performing Arts Center. The stage: touring shows, five-dollar film nights, the holiday show. 11. Bayland Park. The boat ramps, the shoreline, the sunset with a chair. 12. The Baytown Little Theater. A season every year, longer than most businesses downtown have existed. 13. Hooky Entertainment. Bowling, games, the group night, on the I-10 side. 14. Stallworth Stadium on a Friday in the fall. The biggest crowd in town, a few dollars at the gate. 15. The plants at night. Not a place. From the bridge, the terrace, the Nature Center's west end — the skyline the town doesn't put on postcards and should.

Nearby, for the day. Sylvan Beach in La Porte (25 minutes, the closest sand); Kemah Boardwalk (35); Space Center Houston (40); the Anahuac wildlife refuge (35, alligators); Galveston (50). The how-far page has the drive times.

What's not here. A zoo (the Houston Zoo is an hour), a mall (the Marketplace is coming), a brewery (still), a beach (see above). We'd rather say so than send you to a parking lot.

Questions people ask. What is there to do in Baytown, Texas? The fifteen above, and the 48-hours guide puts them in order. Best attractions near Baytown for kids? The ferry, the water park, the Wetlands Center, Hooky. Free attractions? The ferry, Art Alley, Bayland, the Battleground grounds, the library. Tourist attractions Baytown TX at night? The bridge, the terrace, Art Alley lit, the Little Theater.

En español. Atracciones de Baytown, en orden: el ferry de Lynchburg (gratis), el Centro de Naturaleza, el monumento y campo de batalla de San Jacinto, el puente Fred Hartman al anochecer, Art Alley y Texas Avenue, Pirates Bay en verano, el Centro de Humedales, la terraza del Hyatt al atardecer, el viñedo Yepez, el PAC de Lee College, el parque Bayland, el Little Theater, Hooky, el fútbol americano en Stallworth los viernes, y las plantas de noche. Cerca: Sylvan Beach (25 min), Kemah (35), NASA (40), Galveston (50). No hay zoológico, ni centro comercial, ni cervecería, ni playa — preferimos decirlo.